My Ping Pong Edge

Once upon a time I was a very good ping pong player.  I could spin, slice, top spin, put

English on the ball and slam one over on my opponent.  I was pretty good.

Notice I said “was”. 

A friend of mine was at one time one of the better saxophone players I’ve ever known.  He could hold his own with the best of the best, but he quit playing.

You see, regardless of how sharp, how proficient, how great we might presently be, we grow stale, we grow dull, and we lose our sharp edge in any activity unless we keep at it.

The concept of “number of touches” is at play here.  How many times a day do the greats touch their game of choice – and I’m not talking just about music.  This applies to sports, architecture, typing, writing, singing and on and on.  The lesson here is this … the more you increase the number of touches in your major skill, the more you increase the chances of continuing to hone your edge. 

A soccer specialists encouraged young soccer players to practice in a small room all by themselves.  They increased their number of touches on the ball by one-hundred fold.  And that is the beginning of skill improvement.

I played a game of ping pong a few months ago.  My aim was slightly off.  I kept knocking the ball a bit beyond my opponent’s edge of the table.  And my serves had lost a bit of their spin and pizazz.

If possible, touch your skill every day – EVERY DAY!  Carry your drum sticks around.  Show up at the keyboard every day.  Play a few notes on your clarinet every day.  Swing your golf club or baseball bat every day.

Keep your edge.

Increase your number of touches.

P Michael Biggs

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